Stratiotai
The Stratiotai (Soldiers) are the Tekgnos Federation's most elite division of special forces. The Stratiotai are deployed only during the direst of situations, and indeed, they have only been deployed in large numbers once in the entire history of the Federation, during the Duraphite Rebellion. Their abilities and equipment render them virtually invincible compared to most forces on the planet. A single squad of Stratiotai is said to be capable of taking out an entire battalion of lesser Tekgnos forces, and an entire army of early industrial forces. Equipment 'Hoplites-117 Tactical Armour' The Stratiotai are mainly distinguished by their exclusive access to the Hoplites-117 Tactical Armour, one of the most advanced powered suits in the Tekgnos arsenal. It comes equipped with both protective and advanced life support functions, allowing its wearer to fight in any environment for extended periods of time. Biofluid Synthesizers dispense the panaceic substance into the wearer when injured, augmenting their already impressive regenerative abilities. A fully integrated Tactical Suite provides the wearer with everything necessary to analyze and engage threats. The suit is composed of lightweight composite materials (the composition of which is classified) that despite their weight provide top calibre ballistic and energy protection. Tests have shown it to be impervious to anything short of a Mk 44 Kinetic Slug, a Kinetic Energy Penetrator used to defeat targets hardened with at least 6m of reinforced concrete. Highly advanced motion servos in the suit magnify the wearer's movement and reaction speed to superhuman levels, such that a fully trained Stratiotes is capable of outrunning the Altena Main Battle Tank, which has a top speed of 120 kmh. It is powered by a Micro-Skiaton Reactor, providing it with a power output of 200 Petawatts, rating at Type I on the Kardashev Scale. Backup power is provided by a Skiaton Battery that absorbs excess energy from the reactor, and can store up to a week's worth of reserve power, in the event that the main reactor is rendered inoperable. It additionally comes equipped with energy shields capable of protecting against copious amounts of enemy fire, dispersing incredibly high amounts of heat and impact force. Testing has shown the shields to have a lower limit of 10 Megatons, or 418.4 Terajoules, rendering them resistant to most low-yield thermonuclear devices, and requiring multiple detonations in order to overcome the shielding. The shields are powerful enough to protect its wearer during reentry, and the impact of a terminal velocity collision with a planetary body, an event with the impact force measuring in the kilotons. As such, while most Tekgnos strike drops involve personnel and equipment protected by specially designed strike pods, Strataiotai make drops without any such protection. Internal navigation systems reorient the suit into an ideal landing position as the ground approaches, so that a Stratiotes can easily jump out of a dropship at reentry altitude and land on his feet with no injury at all, despite causing a massive crater with his arrival. 'Matrix Arsenal' Strataiotai are armed with what are essentially virtual weapons conceived and designed in digital space, which are then projected into real space using a Shell device built into their armour. The result is a fully functional weapon composed of 'hard light'. It should be noted that Matrix Weapons do not appear to be 'made of light', but rather, look like ordinary physical objects. Their temporary nature confers what might be considered the ultimate weapon security, as they will vanish if successfully stolen by an enemy. Matrix weapons can be projected either by mental command or manually typing the order into one's Shell. It should be noted that Matrix Weapons pre-exist in digital space as templates designed by Tekgnos Armsmiths. The Strataiotes does not imagine one into existence, so much as choosing from an already existing selection of armaments. There are a great many kinds of Matrix Weapons, from projectile weapons to beam weapons, to melee arms like daggers, swords, and so-forth. This technology is restricted to Strataiotai and a few select elite logisticians. Training Trained from before birth via exposure to prenatal mental simulation, Stratiotai emerge from their artificial wombs with a mental capacity to understand language and basic, abstract concepts. By the age of three, they are knowledgeable in basic skills such as handling basic weapons, survival, language, and others. At the age of ten, they are cast into a simulated hazardous environment to run a grueling training course. (More details to come) Bio-Enhancement Stratiotai are GenoMods, enhanced from conception to become the ultimate soldier. Their regenerative abilities are far superior to the average human, their bodies will cease aging upon reaching physical maturity, and their immune systems are capable of outpacing the adaptation of genetically engineered FlexiViruses, a type of Tekgnos bio-weapon. (More details to come) Organization The Stratiotai form a division sized unit divided into three Mora (reinforced brigades) of 6000 personnel each. Unlike standard Tekgnos military units, the Stratiotai are responsible for their own logistics, and as such, each soldier serves both combat and non-combat duties, the latter of which are typically associated with logistical units. Kyaenos Mora (Blue Mora) "Defy the gods. Vanquish the demons." Specializing in Counter Supernatural (COSUNA) Operations, Kyaenos Mora is deployed against enemies deemed supernatural, such as mages, vampires, alchemists, espers, ghosts, monsters, and even (dependent) gods and demons, as their motto boasts. Their approach tends to be high-tech and attuned specifically to track down chaff signatures, disruption of incantations, rituals, and magical focus, as well as masking themselves from psychic and magical detection. Kyaenos Mora played a pivotal role in the successful execution of Operation: Theocide, the final leg of the Duraphite Rebellion, when they assassinated large quantities of Duraphite mages and priests, who were providing extensive magical support to the rebels. They additionally weakened the power of the Duraphite patron deity Duras by spreading secularistic propaganda throughout the Duraphite population, thus creating doubt in his existence. As implied by their unit name, their Tactical Armour is coloured blue. Melas Mora (Black Mora) "Be the shield. Be the sword." Specializing in Special Operations like unconventional warfare, Melas Mora plays the role most commonly associated with special forces. Although the other two Mora are highly trained in special operations, Melas Mora has elevated the craft to the level of an art form. Melas Mora is the most active of the three, having small numbers consistently deployed to a variety of locations around the world. Melas Stratiotai typically fire the first shots of a Tekgnos strategic offensive - if in absolute secrecy - paving the way for more conventional forces to engage the enemy. This fits perfectly with their motto of being the sword. In their service as the shield, Melas Stratiotai are deployed in preemptive strikes against suspected terrorists abroad and foreign enemies of the Federation, performing everything from assassinations of hostile foreign individuals, to highly-destructive raids on enemy bases, to training and arming insurgents/revolutionaries in order to "assassinate" hostile regimes. Melas' Tactical Armour is coloured black, and additionally equipped with active camouflage, rendering them virtually invisible to the naked eye. Kokkinos Mora (Red Mora) "Uphold the past. Ensure the future." Specializing in Internal Affairs, Kokkinos Mora is best described as a combination of special forces and secret police. (More details to come) Known Members *Gertrud Sigil - Formerly a Lochagos in Melas Mora. Dishonourably discharged due to a violent incident surrounding the highly controversial Machine Initiative Debate.